Numerous types of vehicles use rotating seats to enable the operator to enter and exit the seat more easily. Many of these vehicle cab environments are constrained for space. By way of example, FIG. 1 is a simplified planform drawing of a typical truck cab arrangement having a driver's seat 6, a steering wheel 7, storage cabinets 8, an instrument console 9, and a center gear assembly 10. As shown, there is very little space within the truck cab for the driver to fully rotate his or her seat. Instead, the driver must perform a combination of movements in order to maneuver the seat around the various components. The combination of movements usually involves rotating the seat slightly about a central axis to clear one object, then linearly sliding the seat rearward to clear another object, then continuing rotation the seat about its central axis to clear a third object, and so forth. To bring the seat back to the operative position, the user must perform the same steps in reverse order.
While this arrangement is effective, it is somewhat cumbersome. Thus, a need exists for a vehicle seat in which the user can move between an operative position and various inoperative positions without having to spend a lot of time, effort, and energy in doing so. The present invention is directed to fulfilling these and other needs as described below.